Quad or buggy on Lanzarote: which to choose on rules, age, seats and price

"Buggy or quad?" sounds like a matter of taste, but on Lanzarote the answers are fairly concrete: the law treats each vehicle differently, they're offered in different parts of the island and the rules for children aren't the same. Here are the differences that will actually change your choice.

Quad vs buggy at a glance

Everything we found, quad or buggy, is a guided group excursion. There's no self-drive hire of either on the island.

What does the law say? Helmets, gloves and shoes from 1 October

On 1 October 2026 an amendment to Spain's General Traffic Regulations (article 118.1) came into force, and it goes right to the heart of this comparison. Riders on quads, quadricycles and tricycles must wear:

• an approved helmet on every road;
• protective gloves on interurban roads, which are most of the roads the tours use;
• closed shoes covering the whole foot.

The exception: if the vehicle has a protective structure and seatbelts recorded on its ITV card, occupants are exempt and must wear the seatbelt instead. That's the case for most caged buggies. So in a buggy you can go without a helmet; on a quad you can't.

In practice, buggy operators usually hand out helmets and goggles anyway (H2O includes them on every tour), and all of them ask for closed shoes. If you're going by quad, ask whether gloves are provided or you need to bring your own.

Age, licence and who can ride as a passenger

Licence. A category B car licence covers quadricycles, so it's valid for both quads and buggies. No operator on the island accepts an AM licence (mopeds and light quadricycles). If your licence isn't from the EU, check the conditions in licence, age and requirements.

Buggy driver age. It depends on the operator:

• H2O Sports: 20, with 2 years' licence; original licence only.
• Lanzabuggy: 21, with 2 years' licence; on the Maverick Trail, 18 with a category B licence.
• Paracraft: 22.

Quad driver age. The Playa Blanca quads publish 18 with a licence. Some resellers require 21.

Passengers. This is where buggies win for families. Two-seater buggies usually ask for 1.35 m, because below that height Spanish law requires a child restraint. Four-seater buggies take younger children. Quads have no seatbelt or cage, and some resellers only take children from 12. If you're travelling with kids, look at the 4- and 6-seater buggies.

Which is more comfortable and which is more of a thrill?

A quad is more physical. The wind is in your face and there's no roof or cage. You feel the ground more, and the dust too. In summer the trade wind blows hard most days, and on a quad you notice it more. For two people who want something short and intense, it fits.

A buggy is easier to handle: most of the Can-Ams used on tours are automatic, and everyone sits belted in inside the roll cage. You can talk, take photos and, on some tours, swap drivers (Lanzabuggy allows two drivers per buggy). The dust is still there: reviews mention it again and again, and operators provide goggles.

For three or more people, a quad doesn't work: each one carries two. Four friends need two quads or a single four-seater buggy, and the buggy usually works out better.

How much is a quad and how much is a buggy on Lanzarote?

All prices are per vehicle, not per person.

Quads are cheaper per hour, especially for couples. For a family of four, a four-seater buggy works out at almost the same price per person and you all ride together. More figures in buggy tour prices.

Where can you go quad biking and where buggying?

Quads: the offer is in the south. They leave from Playa Blanca and Yaiza, through areas such as Janubio, Los Hervideros, El Golfo or Femés. Lanzabuggy used to run a quad tour, but it currently shows as inactive in its booking system. You'll find more detail in quads and buggies in Playa Blanca.

Buggies: more operators and more routes. From Costa Teguise, north to the Peñas del Chache (about 670 m); from Puerto Calero and Yaiza, along the central tracks and through La Geria; from Puerto del Carmen, by road to El Cuervo volcano.

Neither quads nor buggies may enter Timanfaya National Park off the LZ-67 road, and neither can go to Papagayo, onto the beach or into the dunes. We explain why in dune buggies and beach buggies.

What's happening with off-road routes

On 2 October 2026 the Cabildo de Lanzarote opened a one-month public consultation on an island by-law that could restrict or ban tourist use of buggies, quads and motorbikes on dirt tracks and rural land. It affects both vehicles equally. There's no ban in force today and the tours are running, but routes could move onto tarmac. When you book, ask how much of the route is off-road.

So, buggy or quad?

Choose a quad if there are two of you, you're staying in the south, you want something short and physical and you don't mind the helmet. The 90-minute south Lanzarote quad is the cheapest motorised tour we found on the island, though it still has very few reviews.

Choose a buggy if you have children with you, there are more than two of you, you'd rather wear a seatbelt than a helmet, or you're after the views in the north. For couples, the Costa Teguise off-road tour has more than 5,500 reviews and a 4.6 rating. For families, the 4- or 6-seater buggy takes everyone in the same vehicle. If you'd prefer central tracks with pick-up in the south, look at the Can-Am Trail.

Reviewed: 6 October 2026